Peg Leg Imperial Stout | Heavy Seas Beer

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The pour is a bit misleading, but still nice. It's extremely dark and produces a really nice, if minor, cascading brown head. Not a terribly thick beer, but the head is, at least for a brief time, gorgeous. However, it's short-lived because the retention isn't much. Spotty lace.

Coming up from the snifter, the smells are all subtle. Obviously, the malt bill shines. The smell is almost sweet, with caramel and toffee. Some chocolate in there as well, in addition to a splash of smoke. Something in there gives off a bubble gum scent. Can't put my finger on it.

The taste is kind of strange. Sweet chocolate starts off before giving way to an English stout-like earthy, roasted grain taste, almost like coffee. From mid sip on, a boozy taste is present.

This has layers. To begin, a milk stout feel presents. The sweet doesn't last long before the dry, bitterness overwhelms it. With the bitterness, the strongish alcohol feel is prominent. However, after the beer warms a bit, all the tastes and the feel meshes fairly well.

Overall, it's a good beer and I'm glad I've got several more. Had I let the beer warm a bit, it may have scored higher because it was much better to finish with that it was at the start. It's easy to drink and while the alcohol tapers off with the warming of the beer, it makes for a nice warmer .

My second bottle from the six-pack I split with my sister; best by date is December 24th of 2015.

Pours very, VERY dark brown, approaching black. Once in the glass, it looks even darker, pretty much pitch black -- I can't see any lighter patches around the edges at all in a full glass, and my phone's screen light doesn't pass through to the other side even at the glass's narrowest point. Even my little LED flashlight can't penetrate it! The low point here is the almost total lack of a head of foam on top -- there's a thin layer there upon pouring (with a nice dark tan/light brown color to it) but that quickly fades to virtually nothing, leaving only a little ring around the inside of the glass. The pirate themed label is nice, also -- Heavy Seas beers always stand out a bit on the shelf thanks to that, which is probably why I spotted this one among the mostly unremarkable selection at that local Wal-Mart.

Smell is very roasty. That's the main thing I'm getting now; shortly after pouring it was more noticeable in the smell department, but now I'm having to take a good sniff to pick up much. What is there is pretty nice -- lots of roastiness, with a bit of a fruity thing hovering in the background -- but it could be a bit stronger. I do notice that as the beer sits and has a chance to warm up a bit the smell does start to come out more again -- must be reaching its ideal serving temperature right around now, I suppose. There's a bit of an almost cheese-like savory aspect to it nearing the end of the glass, but that doesn't come across as an unpleasant feature here (unlike some of the other beers where I picked up a "cheesy" smell) -- it blends in with all that roastiness so well that it actually kinda works.

Flavor is similar to the smell, but stronger and with a bit more depth to it. Definitely a lot of almost-burnt dark roasted malt in this one; a bit of an almost-coffee-like flavor and a burnt/char kind of thing mixing together. There's a dark chocolate kind of thing going on in there, too. The fruity presence in the smell is definitely there in the taste as well, though it likes to hide out in the background at least at first. When I first had this one I was at a loss on how to describe that flavor and almost wanted to say it was grape-like, but afterward it suddenly hit me -- plums! It's been a while since I've had an actual plum, so that may be slightly off, but that's what it reminds me of, anyway. It's an interesting thing to find mixed in with the coffee/roasted/burnt/chocolate flavors you find in a lot of dark beers, and it works pretty well here.

Feel is not as much of a high point as the flavor, unfortunately. It's not quite as thick/substantial feeling as I'd expect from a big stout, though it's not *bad* by any means. Carbonation may be just a tad too prickly, especially shortly after pouring.

Overall, while it's not perfect (the slightly-too-prickly/slightly-too-thin feel being the main negative) this is a pretty nice beer, and certainly one I'm glad I picked up a six-pack of. I imagine there are better imperial stouts out there (this is the only one I've had so far, so I can't compare directly just yet), but Peg Leg seems like a pretty great value -- it's not often that you find a six-pack of imperial stout on the shelf for somewhere in the high $8/low $9 range! Heck, for the same price I'd only be able to get two or three cans/bottles of some of the other big stouts from the local beer/wine store. If you're in the mood for a big, roasty stout with a little bit of dark fruitiness in the background but don't want to pay upwards of $10 for a 4-pack, I'd recommend trying this one out.

On tap at the Pizza Plant on Transit,poured into a small goblet a near pitch black with just a hint of ruby shown thru a tight well formed 1/2 finger mocha colore head atop.Dark fruit alcohol notes and and a dryer rooty elemant shows thru as well,flavors of dark fruit,licorice and rum shine out most that earthy rawness shows up a bit late but is subdued but nicely noticed.Not big and chewey like many impy stouts but it is rather quaffable,a bit beter than expected it has character.

Thanks to Jeff for this one; intended to break up the "monotony" of all the IPAs we enjoyed previously. Peg Leg pours a very dark brown, not quite bruising enough to be called pitch black, decent amounts of light shining through the edges. Barely any head forms, even with a mildly aggressive pour; the skin the shows up is an off-khaki color that leaves no lace behind.

To say the least, the nose is fairly unimpressive, especially for the style in question. It's got a quiet stout backing full of some roasted and darker malts, joined by a light cocoa powder essence and a touch of sweetness. And that's really about it. Pretty "unrobust" for a Russian Imperial Stout. Even with time, it never really opens up or gets any more exciting - very lazy and quiet, and that's not what I'm looking for in my imperial stouts. Nothing offensive, just nothing very notable, either.

The flavor has a light roast and toasted malt feeling to it; coffee beans come into play with a deeper allotment of cocoa powder that the nose would have you believe. Some sweetness, almost residual like very, very modest amounts of brown sugar. Halfway through, there's a soft kiss of hops, slightly ashy and leafy, not really adding much save for a mild hint of bitterness. The aftertaste is heaviest with a used coffee-bean flavor, somewhat sweet and almost creamy. Actually, the aftertaste that coats my mouth after the beer is gone is my favorite thing about it so far.

Mouth feel is depressingly thin for the style as well, medium bodied at best, not very creamy feeling; kind of slick and oily, low carbonation. No real alcohol presence, except for a very light warmth. This beer is listed as a Russian Imperial Stout, but it seems like anything but that to me. If anything, it reminds me more of a regular American Stout. It just doesn't have the robust flavors, aromas, or mouth feel you should expect from this style. It falls kind of flat and doesn't really give you anything that would make you come back for more. Thanks again to Jeff for sharing.

The pour produced a light head that was not overly persistent. There is a nice malt aroma along with some light roastiness and hop characteristics. The aroma doesn't fully indicate the flavors present.

The taste is decent with malt and roast presence along with a sort of baked raisin (think like a dessert type thing) flavor. There is also a lightly hopped finish which is unexpected but not unpleasant. The finish also includes some lingering malt character.

The feel is fairly smooth with an okay finish overall. However, it is VERY thin for an Imperial.

This is still a drinkable beer, although not very style consistent. It would be more appropriate to be called a regular or American Stout, rather than Imperial. It's alcohol content isn't overly obvious, either - which is a surprise given the overall thinness of the beer otherwise. Further, it really doesn't have the strong flavors one expects in an Imperial. I would certainly drink this one again, but won't go out of my way to find it.

A: Dark brown to black with a creamy light brown head that went to a ring of bubbles rather quickly. No lacing.

S: Coffee and rubbing alcohol.

T: Relatively complex mix of malts, primarily focusing on dark roasts that yield that espresso coffee flavor. There is a bit of bitter chocolate in there too, with a clear alcohol flavor at the finish to accompany a relatively warm linger.

M&D: Very creamy and smooth making it rather palatable in spite of the the varnish remover notes. The carbonation is light but tenacious and adds to the texture. Honestly, if the alcohol wasn't quite so noticeable in this it would really kick ass. Unfortunately, it just has a finish like acetone - not my taste.

Peg Leg pours from the bottle a charcoal black with a nice head of tan foam that lingers atop the brew. Aromas of dark roasty malts mesh with black currants, raisins and cocoa. Fairly mellow overall with a touch of smokiness.

First sip brings dark, roasted malts upfront with some caramel and chocolate. Flows into some dark fruits with notes of black currants. A slight hint of hops shows up in the finish. Fairly sweet overall. Roastiness lingers on after each sip.

Mouthfeel has a medium body and full carbonation. Goes down pretty smooth and fills the mouth nicely. Still...this falls more along the lines of a standard stout to me. I could have a few in a sitting, but it's not one I'd really seek out. Thanks to goodbyeohio for the opportunity!

Smell is not powerfull. Malty, maybe coffee/chocolate. Surprised by the subtleness, I want my RIS to kick my noses ass.

Yummy. Trying to figure out which flavor takes control, my guess would be the coffee. Right into a deep malt and finish with what Ill call a dry hoppyness sans the floral part.

Ill call it full bodied, but not syrupy, not thick. I think I would like it fuller for the style, but not bad at all.

Im going to rank the drinkability biasedly. Im giving this beer a higher rank for drinkability because this is one of the few RIS's I can get locally (also brewed locally). That makes this beer for the style, very drinkable :). When I cant get the powerhouse RIS's, this will be one of my goto's.

A 12oz bottle with a freshness date of Aug 07. Poured into a pint glass, this was a dark brown, almost black beer with a fairly small head. It had a dark chocolate aroma, but was somewhat simple in aroma. The taste was chocolate and coffee, but, again, was rather meek. This was an OK beer, but there are a lot of other RISs that I would drink first.

Tab dated Feb. '05. Poured out a deep dark bottle brown with a thick khaki head that settled as a light creamy layer with puffy little islands. Scents of chocolate, coffee and warm alcohol. Surprising amount of carbination gets you with the first sip, it foams up in your mouth. But the body is alot less than I was expecting... not think, just mostly carbination on top of a thin to medium body..? Dark tastes of espresso, burnt toast, bit of merlot or house red wine that comes out at the end. The flavors linger on your tongue, mainly at the back sides. Not really what I would have picked out as being an impy if I was blindfolded. This is an easy drinker though, the flavors are not too intense, but still decent.
Thanks to Blitheringidiot for shoving this bottle into my fridge!

The taste is less then average for a Imp. Stout. I was surprised at the lack of roast, though it does come at the end. the first flavors are all sweet and chocolate, this taste lingers to slowly reveal a hint of roasted malts overall its not impressive.

There isnt any carbonation on the mouth but a dry roasted feel and alcohol ends

A- Deep black with a solid one finger brown head. No lacing but still looks beautiful.

S- Bourbon and coffee with a bit of burnt toast. It's a nice blend with the alcohol showing through in a good way.

T- Similar to the nose, coffee and toast, but the bourbon alcohol character gives way to a licorice component which I really enjoy. A bit of bitterness on the tail end add up to a great beer.

M- A bit thinner than I would like in my stouts and missing the creaminess or carbonation levels I expect but still a bit of chewy character and the flavors do fill the mouth well.

D- Intense flavors and high alcohol (both in terms of the taste and the effects) keep this one from being a super easy drinker but it sure is tasty and will bring me back again. Once again Heavy Seas comes through, not sure why they don't get more credit for their great beers from top to bottom.